Where does the chaos lie in the first two acts of A Midsummer Nights Dream?

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Introduction

Where does the chaos lie in the first two acts of "A Midsummer Night's Dream"? It seems the main source of chaos in the first two acts of A Midsummer Night's Dream is love. Indeed, in Act 1 Scene 1, we can find many love relations : Theseus, duke of Athens, and Hippolyta, Queen of the Amazons are engaged and are going to get married very soon. In this case, both of them love each other and everything goes well. This is the initial situation. Nevertheless, there come on stage four young Athenians, who all have different lovers from those they must marry. Our four characters are Lysander, Hermia, Demetrius, and Helena. Helena loves Demetrius but the latter doesn't love her, which causes her complete desperation. As a matter of fact, Helena's problem brings more chaos : she submits herself, and even comes to a point where, in Act 2 Scene 2, she says : line 203, page 39 "I am you spaniel" which shoes her complete submission. This way of behaving shoes real chaos there. ...read more.

Middle

In another way, this sentence explains what his plan is going to do. This brings real chaos : imagine a Queen falling madly in love with a monster. Furthermore, he also decides to use this magical power to make Demetrius fall in love with Helena. Actually, this is quite good from him because it would solve Helena's problem. The last situation where chaos lies is in Act 2 Scene 2 : Oberon sends Puck to use the magical flower on Demetrius as Demetrius is in the wood searching for Hermia. (Hermia has told Helena to reassure her because she and Lysander are going to elope : consequently, Demetrius would stop following Hermia and return back to Helena. After, Helena tells Demetrius. Then, what should have happened doesn't happen and Demetrius goes into the forest to search for Hermia). Chaos gets at its top point when Puke puts the flower's juice on Lysander instead of Demetrius. Helena arrives when Lysander gets up and he sees her at first : then he directly falls madly in love with her. ...read more.

Conclusion

The other moment when there is social chaos is in Act 1 Scene 2 : a few people are planning to do a play for Theseus' wedding. Quince is the one who sort of organizes the play and the actors. Bottom is one of the actors. He is the one who brings chaos because we find out reading the play that as Quince reveals a new character, he directly asks if he can play his part (line 42 page 21 : "Let me play Thisbe too" / line 57 page 23 : "Let me play the lion too" / ...). At the end, he sort of wants to play the whole bunch of characters which is really pathetic. The last subject where we can find chaos is the fact that if the King and Queen of the Fairies are angry, and don't marry, this will bring disorder, chaos on Earth generally, which means that the two only persons who are getting well with each other might not marry and everything would be going the wrong way. ?? ?? ?? ?? Yann Tarouilly 3�2 18/09/10 Where does the chaos lie in the first two acts of "A Midsummer Night's Dream"? ...read more.

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Shakespeare shows us that people can be cruel and judgmental. Lysander seems to be very negative and states that even if they could be together there are still problems that could occur: 'War, Death or sickness did lay siege to it'.

Puck leaves him and Oberon hides himself. Demetrius and Helena arrive in the woods where Oberon is hidden where Demetrius tells Helena that he doesn?t love her. She intimidates him by telling that she?ll chase him down if he tried to leave her in the woods. Oberon eavesdropping decides to make Demetrius fall in love with Helena

The fairies also create additional and artificial conflicts. Oberon sees Helena running after Demetrius while he swears he will never lover her. Taking pity on Helena, Oberon decides to use the magic flower on Demetrius. Puck sees Lysander asleep, assumes he is Demetrius and puts the love juice in his eyes.

The motive behind this chase through the woods is because of Helena who is a fool in pursuing Lysander and Hermia's plan to Demetrius just for some affection as when she expresses in her soliloquy, " Pursue her and for this intelligence if I have thanks, it is a dear expense" .

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